Rudy Giuliani Leader and Communicator
If there is one leadership quality Giuliani is adept at and which made him worthy to be mayor was his communication skills. Critics of communication and leadership often use Giuliani as an example to state important ideas regarding the role of communication in being an ideal and effective leader, in the process, saying something about Giulianis brand of leadership. The focus of the discussion in this paper is regarding one of Rudy Giulianis leadership skills that is communication, how he applied it and its overall impact on his leadership abilities. The paper will also focus during the time he served as mayor of the city of New York, all the way to the September 11 attack which tested Giulianis abilities as a leader and as a communicator with charisma, persuasiveness and inspiration.
Rudy Giuliani has been considered by many analysts and critics as an excellent leader and a commendable communicator. An important aspect of Giulianis career that cemented him as an excellent leader and communicator is his stint as mayor of New York and his handling of the 911 crisis. Giuliani has rendered long years in public service which was characterized by his excellent leadership and communication skills. These were magnified when he served as mayor that coped with the 911 crisis that appalled the world. New York Citys amazing recovery from the attack was a testimony to his leadership and management skills. During the 911 crisis, Giuliani was able to move people, to have people follow even when they appear to be immobilized by grief. When Giuliani he talks with emotion, his body language accentuates the feeling he tries to convey. He raises his hands, makes a fist, stares with fiery conviction to his audience and lets the words fall from his mouth with the same amount of conviction as seen in many occasions (Maxwell, 81). He addressed the United Nations a month after the attack, he spoke with a passion, promising a course of action for New York which included the pursuit of rehabilitation and recovery and their role in fighting terrorism in a national and global scale to the post 911 remembrance ceremony. During the first year anniversary which Giuliani graced after stepping down as mayor, he was still emotional in his words but is possessed that chasrisma.
Valente explained that Giuliani believes that being a good leader and a communicator is being a person who is born with such abilities and characteristics and able to consistently harness it and put it to good use every day (Valente, 15). Giuliani is not afraid to speak in front of a lot of people. Every time he does, he makes sure that what he has to say has substance, may it be the things on his mind or the things that he writes down. It is both an ability and talent because not everyone possesses and uses such a characteristic. Giuliani, fortunately, is gifted with leadership and communication skills that allowed him to effect positive resolution of any kind of situation that would be thrown at him.
Giulianis communication skills are characterized by charisma and persuasion. Through his words, he can persuade people to action without sounding too bossy or being overly domineering. People find his words as something that they can easily believe and rely on and are easily convinced to the point they would follow him willingly. Giuliani was able to effectively integrate his charismatic personality with his communication skills which made it him effective in getting his message across.
During the 911 crisis, the people were devastated but they were not leaderless. Giuliani made sure his people believed and relied on him. He made sure he was persnoally there at Ground Zero to lead in the disaster management efforts as his duty as the local chief executive demands it and to let people know he was one with them during these trying times (Giuliani, 4-5). He wanted to see the situation with his own eyes rather than rely on his subordinates to feed him reports from the field. Micromanaging is not his style, most especially during this crisis. He persuaded them towards a particular attitude and mindset that was important in the start of the rebuilding process following the tragedy. In news videos where he was featured, Giuliani used both emotion as well as a sense of direction to provide a stable pillar from which the people can start rebuilding. If it was any other leader who was not as good as Giuliani in communicating, the outcome of the rebuilding of NYC after 911 would have gone on a different direction. This would remind one of the contrast in New Orleans following the aftermath of the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina where relief efforts were slow which indicated that there existed a failure in communication somewhere along the line.
There are other things that helped Giuliani become an effective communicator. For example, Giulianis appearance as a fatherly figure enhances the impact of the message that Giuliani is trying to send. When people see him speaking, his elderly father-like demeanor, strengthened by his physical features, gives him a warm aura. It gives people a reassuring and comforting feeling as though their father is talking to them in a consoling tone. The people are inclined to follow him because of the trust that they give to Giuliani similar to the trust they would give to their father. Giulianis mannerism - or lack of it - also helped him become an effective communicator because mannerisms often cause distraction in the part of the audience.
The September 11 was also an opportunity for Giuliani. The tragedy enabled him to display the ability and full extent of his communication skills, to direct and give direction to agencies and put order in the midst of the chaos, and more importantly, to console as well as to reassure the people (Valente, 5) who are devastated by the gravity of what was lost during the terrorist attack. Giuliani and his words gave the people hope after the traumatic experience. His helping hand somewhat alleviated the suffering of New Yorkers and urged them to stand up and help rebuild their city, both physically and emotionally. The importance of being able to share what is on the mind of the leaders, like Giuliani, to the people and vice versa is an important aspect of leadership. It is a conduit to the creation and undertaking of effective solutions. This is something that Valente talked about in his article (Valente, 5). Valente explained that during the 911 crisis, one of Giulianis strong characteristics as an effective leader was his ability to communicate with the people in different ways and in different situations, communicating with the people he was trying to console as well as the people he was trying to lead, pushing when the situation called for it (Valente, 5).
More than that, Giuliani was also credited for communicating to his underlings and subordinates during the crisis management. Even though he was the local chief executive, he cannot know everything. He admits he is not God. He encouraged or urged his staffers and appointees to display initiative to put constructive ideas forward especially in times of crisis management when the problem that to be solved is overwhelming (Valente, 26). This is a positive leadership characteristic for Giuliani hinged on his communication abilities, being able to articulate what he wanted to say and what is necessary during the crisis which fostered positive action and reaction from people and agencies involved during the 911 crisis.
According to Adubato, Giulianis messages when he tries to communicate to the people are perceived by the receivers of the message as something genuine. The communicator in Giuliani is empowered by compassion since Giuliani approaches a situation by trying to feel what his people are feeling. This was seen during 911 and how he communicated his messages to the people. Responding to the crisis on September 11, 2001, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was thinking with his heart as a human being involved with the American people and he came across as a strong and compassionate leader and communicator (Adubato 90). What is so significant about it was Giuliani lived his messages, not simply say them (Maxwell, 29).
What is the significance of communication - and Giulianis ability for communication as a leader - during the immediate post 911 crisis management For one, communication allowed Giuliani to lead the people forward, taking concrete steps so that they could be able to rise above the ashes. Communication was important because it acted as trigger for pro-active movement when the world seemed to stand still after the attack in panic and shock. 911 created a very big and complex problem for New York City and for the United States, but it does not mean that there is no solution to this problem. The problem is that without communication, any solution is useless.
As Turner explains it in his book tackling communication, its no use having the solution if we cant communicate it (Turner, ix). New York and the United States were able to recover after the 911 crisis because of solutions that were effectively laid out and executed, disseminated to the different agencies operating in and around ground zero and in other hotbeds during the 911 crisis. A large factor in this success is the effective leadership of Giuliani, whose leadership is characterized by his ability to communicate to the people. Action and re-action has to start somewhere. Giuliani believes that People who live in freedom have more strength than those who live in oppression (Valente, 8). The words of Giuliani were the beacon of light that pointed towards the direction that the people should take. In hindsight, no one could say that Giuliani or anyone could have done a better job than what was accomplished there. Giulianis manner of communicating during the 911 crisis galvanized him as a true effective leader. He communicated with the people with a sense of clarity and direction, and not just pure emotional babble which can only make things worse and are detrimental to the progress of rebuilding when the leaders are purely emotional. Adubato explained that in times of crisis or when under intense pressure, a leader must remain calm and be able to speak from the heart to gain the support and trust of others who rely on him or her for information, direction and inspiration (Adubato, 90).
Communication as integral to leadership is not just about barking orders decisively. While this is important, this is not always the case. It is also important that the messages also carry with it a message of inspiration. In the 911 crisis, Giuliani was active in giving important orders, while at the same time, he too was heard by people speaking inspirational words to comfort them and motivate them. Flynn believes that one of the brightest stars in Giulianis 911 crisis communication was how Giuliani tapped into the New York spirit and used it to inspire and motivate the people. In the aftermath of the 911 terrorist attacks, the world watched mayor Rudolph Giuliani, brilliantly rediscover the spirit and resilience of The New Yorker and articulate it in a new and compelling way that helped to rally the city at a time of great uncertainty and distress (Flynn, 108).
Turner further explains that we see the communicator as a great leader (Turner, ix). Because of this, the assessment of Giulianis extent of ability for effective leadership depends largely on his ability to be a communicator and in his skill set affecting communication. The leader is expected to connect with the people he or she wants to lead. Without this, effective leadership is impossible. Because of this, professional analysts always point the primeval tendency, instinct and characteristic most basic to every individual - communication. The leader should be able to communicate with the people so that the direction is enjoyed and appreciated by the group. Communication is one of the most fundamental actions that link one human being to another (Turner, ix).
If this is true, the leader should be able to communicate to each and every one of his subordinates or the people so that he or she can send the message, and at the same time, receive the message that is important in effectively leading a group. In the effort to assess Giulianis characteristic as a leader and a communicator, it is important to explore and look at the aspect of how he reaches and touches the base with the people he served, and if he has been successfully doing that or otherwise. In times of crisis, one of the most important immediate tasks of the leader is to be able to re-organize the group or society. Crisis and catastrophe have an effect of breaking people down, because of loss lives and property, which triggers a psychological backlash in feelings of desperation, depression and hopelessness. Professionals believe that leadership in times of crisis starts with being able to unify the people again immediately after the crisis so that the collective course of action is better approached. There is a better chance of recovering if it is a collective effort.
The 911 tragedy is a real life example of this condition. Giuliani is expected to be the leader to unify the people and get them back on their feet towards reconstruction and recovery. He was able to do this, humbly , through communication, considering the fact that communication is one of the most fundamental actions that links one human being to another (Montalbano, 2). It is the fiber that binds together social relationships and it is the basis of progress in our society (Turner, ix).
Giuliani himself admitted that communication is an important aspect of his leadership style. This means Giuliani is not only cognizant of the importance of communication but is also consciously integrating communication as part of his successful leadership strategy. However, his abilities as a communicator are not merely something that Giuliani talks about. More importantly, professionals who tackle the importance of communication in leadership cite Giuliani and his leadership and communication skills and commend it - a proof and testament to the ability of Giuliani to lead and to communicate. If qualified, competent and credible people are the ones who are talking about ones characteristics, like Giulianis leadership and communication skills. Giuliani once uttered, Leaders are made, though they are born first (Valente, 7). It means that there is more than a grain of truth to this scenario. Giuliani is a terrific public communicator (Adubato, 50). For Valente, Giuliani is a master communicator (Valente, 32) who, especially during the 911 crisis, utilized his ability as a communicator to help heal a city trying to stand up after a devastating blow. Adubato describes his speaking skills as something that is powerful and engaging (Adubato, 50).
Giulianis communication style is diverse. Sometimes he uses passionate language to stir emotions. In other occasions, he speaks his minds in simple wordings. When he led the prayer in lieu of 911, he used strong emotional words like darkest days and finest hours (On September 11th, New York City suffered the darkest day in our history. It is now up to us to make this our finest hour). He described people in bold, brave adjectives, like heroes (All of them were heroes). When he left office he was content in using simple words and phrases, opening up with Thank you very much instead of the poignant or smart one-liners. This style of communication shows how Giuliani is aware of the power of communication and the importance in knowing how to communicate using the most suitable approach from the very diverse and complex collection of possible communication styles. This makes him an effective communicator, and in the process, an effective leader.
What people say is important, more importantly, if it determines the fate of a whole city. What Giuliani has to say to the people after the 911 attack has displayed itself in all its gore and grim. It was important because Giuliani was their leader. They look to him for direction. Giuliani relied on his ability to communicate to reach people in different levels. He empowered them, inspired them, consoled them, and made them believe in the presence of hope, justice and a better tomorrow. If a leader can do that, his leadership is unquestionable. Giuliani cemented his legacy as a leader through his communication skills he displayed, most importantly, in the aftermath of the 911 crisis.
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